LeaderNotes
A newsletter for Foundation directors and friends of higher education in Maryland

Letter from the President    
 
Dear Friends and Colleagues,
 
The holiday season has arrived and the Foundation has no shortage of good news to share. On November 17th, the full Foundation board convened on the twelfth floor of the University of Baltimore's Angelos Law Center. With clear skies and panoramic views of the city, the board heard from UB President Kurt Schmoke, UB Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director in the School of Public and International Affairs Ivan Sascha Sheehan, and a panel of colleagues on the subject of "Navigating Choppy Economic Seas: Best Practices in Investing, Spending, and Fundraising." We welcomed our new Board Chair, Bonnie Stein, who previously served the Foundation as governance committee chair, and four new board members: Patricia Murray, Brian Nelson, Alicia Ritchie, and Alicia Wilson.

Joining Leonard and new chair Bonnie Stein are Directors who have completed their terms and are now Honorary Directors.
  
We also thanked Dennis Wraase for his service and dedication to the Foundation as board chair over the past two years. Under his leadership, the board has become more diverse and more aware of the importance of building endowments. Dennis also played key roles in establishing the quasi-endowment fund, conferring with concerned students about the Foundation's dedication to sound environmental investments, and helping the Foundation hire Northern Trust, BDO, and Johnson & Lambert. Thank you, Dennis, for your commitment and great contributions.  To view photos taken at the meeting, please click here.

In late October, Chancellor Caret published an op-ed in the Baltimore Sun titled "College affordability: a shared obligation," which reminds us of the importance of affordable higher education. In the op-ed, Chancellor Caret urges the federal government, state governments, students and their families, and higher education itself, to acknowledge that each party has to share not only the benefits of higher education, but the cost as well. 

Have safe and happy holidays and a s always, please contact me at [email protected]  or 301-445-1941 with any questions or comments.

Sincerely,
  
Leonard R. Raley
Investment Office Update

Developed markets were relatively volatile in October. The Chicago Board of Exchange's Volatility Index (VIX) experienced its largest monthly increase since August 2015. The volatility was driven primarily by uncertainty around the outcome of November's U.S. presidential election as well as speculation that the Federal Reserve would raise rates in December. In other news, emerging markets continued to outperform their developed-market counterparts, with Latin American assets doing particularly well.
Mark A. Graber Named University System of Maryland Regents Professor
  
Francis King Carey School of Law Professor Mark A. Graber was named a USM  Regents Professor at the end of Oct ober. He is the seventh Regents Professor in USM history and the only University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) faculty member to hold the title. The professorship recognizes faculty members with a high record of scholarly achievement and potential for exceptional service to the System. 

As a Regents Professor, Graber will teach, present a lecture at a USM institution, and enhance the USM through outreach and faculty and curriculum development. Graber began teaching at the USM at UMCP in 1993 and became an adjunct professor at the Carey School of Law at UMB in 2002. Currently, he is the Jacob A. France Professor of Constitutionalism at the Carey School and serves as a mock trial coach at UMCP and UMB.

UMB President Jay Perman nominated Graber for the honor, citing the professor's deep dedication to his research, students, and the System. Graber is a founder of the American Constitutional Development movement, which examines constitutional doctrine through law, history, government, and politics. In an article in
The Diamondback, Graber stated that he hopes he can work to shape prelaw curriculum, as he feels it is extraordinarily important. 
Maria Thompson and Kim Schatzel Honored by the Baltimore Sun 

Coppin State University President Maria Thompson, and Towson University President Kim Schatzel, have been named to the  Baltimore Sun's list of "women to watch in 2016." The list honors Baltimore-area women who are compelling leaders, thinkers, and doers in 2016. 

Maria Thompson is the first woman president of Coppin, which is named after Fanny Jackson Coppin. Jackson Coppin was born a slave in Washington D.C. in 1837 and earned her bachelor's degree at Oberlin College before becoming a school principal, missionary, and writer. Thompson told the  Sun that her top priority as president is increasing Coppin's enrollment. 

Kim Schatzel, who has served as a foreman on a Ford Pinto assembly line, a corporate executive, and an entrepreneur prior to working in higher education, has spent her first year as president building connections between the business community and Towson University. Schatzel's hope is that Towson students will be able to access better job training and internships.

Freeman Hrabowski Named to Ebony POWER 100

UMBC President Freeman Hrabowski named to  Ebony Magazine's  "POWER 100" list alongside Beyonce, Olympic gymnast Simone Biles, the Obama family, Neil deGrasse Tyson, and John Legend, to name a few. The list recognizes outstanding achievements by the world's most inspiring African Americans. Hrabowski was named to the list because of his success in turning UMBC into a research powerhouse that produces black graduates who excel in STEM fields. Hrabowski and the other honorees will be celebrated at an EBONY POWER 100 event in Los Angeles in December.

The University of Maryland University College Renames Student Veterans Lounge 

During a Veterans Day ceremony, UMUC renamed its Student Veterans Lounge at the Academic Center at Largo the  Col. Floyd G. and Lt. Col. Dona R. Hildebrand Student Veterans Lounge  in recognition of the Hildebrand's $500,000 gift to support military students and UMUC's global military operations. 

Dona and Floyd Hildebrand met while they were enrolled at UMUC's Wiesbaden, Germany campus and graduated in 1957 and 1958, respectively. During their time abroad, the Hildebrands took courses from UMUC in several locations around the world, including Vietnam, where they served in the late 60's. Dona notes that she and her husband were impressed by military members who pursued their education, despite hazardous conditions. In 2004, Dona received UMUC's Distinguished Alumna Award for personal and professional achievements and an exemplary record of service. In 2008, Dona initiated the Floyd G. Hildebrand Endowed Militar y Scholarship and continues to support the scholarship today. 

The Student Veterans Lounge at UMUC provides support to veterans who are transitioning to civilian life. More than half of UMUC's students are active duty military personnel, veterans, reservists and their dependents. 

Dona and Floyd Hildebrand

$2.1 million from Maryland's E-Nnovation Initiative will match Private Donations for Two Endowed Chairs at UMCP

UMCP's College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences will receive $2.1 million from Maryland's E-Nnovation Initiative to match private donations that will establish The Andrew and Mary Balo and Nicholas and Susan Simon Endowed Chair and The Elizabeth Stevinson Iribe Endowed Chair. The Balos and the Simons gifted the university $1 million and Iribe gifted the university $1.5 million. Administered by the Department of Commerece, E-Nnovation matches private funds raised in support of endowed chairs and universities and colleges in Maryland. The initiative will match these gifts with $1 million and $1.1 million, respectively. 
 
Andrew Balo and Nicholas Simon both graduated from UMCP, majored in microbiology, and are now successful biotech entrepreneurs who believe that a new endowed chair was necessary to enhance the study of life sciences at the university. Balo is vice president of clinical, regulatory and quality at Dexcom, a company that provides continuous glucose monitoring technology to patients and healthcare professionals to manage diabetes. Simon is the managing director and co-founder of Clarus, a Boston and San Francisco-based team of investors in the healthcare sector. 

Iribe and her son, Brendan, have donated to the university before. Elizabeth established the Paul Chrisman Iribe Endowed E-Nnovate Professorship in virtual reality the Reginald Allan Hahne Endowed E-Nnovate Professorship in computer science, which were both matched by the state. In 2018, the Brendan Iribe Center for Computer Science and Innovation is set to open, thanks to a $31 million gift from Bredan, co-founder and CEO of Oculus, a company that specializes in and manufactures virtual reality technology. 

Elizabeth and Brendan Iribe
The Universities at Shady Grove Breaks Ground on Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Building

In October, Chancellor Robert Caret joined Lieutenant Governor Boyd Rutherford, State Senator Nancy King, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, community leaders, and students to break ground on USG's Biomedical Sciences and Engineering Education Facility. The facility, set to open in 2019, will be USG's fourth academic building and will feature teaching laboratories, collaborative learning spaces, clinical training facilities, academic offices, and expanded student services. UMB, UMCP, and UMBC will offer graduate and undergraduate degrees in healthcare, biosciences, engineering, and computational sciences through USG's new facility. According to USG Executive Director Stew Edelstein, this will allow USG to double the number of students it serves from 4,000 to 7,500 in 2019 and as a result, USG will contribute many talented graduates in STEM fields to the workforce.
 

University of Maryland Eastern Shore Receives $1 Million Gift from Henson Foundation, Dedicates Engineering & Aviation Science Complex
         Richard A. Henson

UMES received a $1 million gift from the Richard A. Henson  Foundation that will support the UMES Henson Honors Program with scholarships and student initiatives. According to Donna Altvater, executive director of the Henson Foundation, the gift will help UMES's Henson Honors Program become one of national and international distinction. This gift joins a total of $12 million from the Henson Foundation over the past 25 years.  

On October 19, UMES President Juliette Bell dedicated the atrium of the Engineering & Aviation Science Complex to Delmarva Power, in recognition of their $1 million gift to the university. At the dedication, the university unveiled their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certificate, which was awarded due to the building's energy efficiency. The classroom complex has 250 geothermal walls for heating and cooling, skylights with automatic, electronic, glass shading, Energy Star appliances, and low mercury lamps, among many other features. 
Holiday 2016    


 
In This Issue
USM News Briefs 
 
Frostburg State University 
and  Towson University
  are striving to maintain sustainable campuses. FSU was highlighted in the Investment and Finance section of the
2016 Sustainable Campus Index by the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education in recognition of their Student Sustainability Fee. TU wrapped up their
Campus Sustainability Month in October by installing more than 4,000 solar panels that generate enough energy to power the University Union. The panels will supply power to buildings across campus, allowing the university to require less power from off-campus sources. 

The University of Maryland, College Park  was named to  Military Times'  2017 Best for Vets: Colleges List. The list evaluates the factors that make universities and colleges a good fit for service members, veterans, and their families. In addition to  UMCP's ranking in
Military Times,  the school was also ranked 36th  nationally as one of the Best Colleges for Veterans by  U.S. News & World Report.

Bowie State University 
is partnering with the
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission to offer small-group classes, camps, performances and master workshops to Maryland residents. BSU hopes that by expanding the audience for the university's art offerings, the campus performing arts center will become a valuable community asset.
Board Member News 

New Board Member Alicia Ritchie Named Leading Woman Awardee
 
Alicia Ritchie has been selected by the Daily Record as a Leading Women Awardee. The award honors women 40 and under for their career accomplishments, educational history, board memberships, volunteer work in civic and nonprofits, and mentoring work, among other factors. Alicia and the awardees were honored at a reception in Annapolis on December 5 .
 

  
 Grants Around the System 

   The iSchool at UMCP
received an $18 million grant in conjunction with the Trace R&D Center's implementation on campus. With a focus on innovative technologies, the Trace Center aims to make the world accessible to people of all ages and abilities. The grant was transferred from the University of Wisconsin and comes from the Disability Innovation Fund, a program of the US Department of Education.  
Read more...

University System of Maryland
will use a $3 million federal grant to launch pilot remedial statistics courses at TU, UMBC, and CSU. The hope is that the initiative will make it easier for students, such as liberal arts majors, to fulfill their math requirement, while taking a math course that is more relevant to their major.
Read more...

University System of Maryland Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation
was granted $5 million from the National Science Foundation. The funding will support STEM students from underrepresented groups and will be shared among UMBC, UMCP, and UMES. 

 UMB's School of Social Work 
was awarded a $2.5 million grant from the US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime in order to respond to human trafficking of youth and children. 
Staff Member News

Alyson D'Apice joined our team in October as an administrative assistant. She comes to us from the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was an accounting associate. Prior to that, she was an administrative assistant for several years at an Annapolis law firm, and held a variety of positions in the Boston and New England area. Welcome, Alyson!

 

Micaela Cameron 

Editor, LeaderNotes

301-445-2743

[email protected]